Derek Lam / Resort 2015

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Derek Lam has always had a soft spot for the 1970s, but this season he found himself swinging towards the sixties for inspiration instead—specifically the year of his birth, 1966. It was around that time that a sportier aesthetic was beginning to emerge in couture, a look that speaks to Lam’s elevated approach of American sportswear.

Thigh-skimming A-line skirts and button-up polo shirts with epaulets were a nod to the era that has been percolating elsewhere this season, although the overall effect was anything but retro, and the use of raw denim and indigo suede on an office-ready belted jacket and tailored flared leg pants was in step with he way women are dressing right now. Lam likes to keep his ear close to the ground where the needs of a working wardrobe are concerned, and the fall-into-spring color palette of his cotton tweed suit—one part bordeaux red, one part Florida orange—came via grassroots market research he gathered at trunk shows across the country. The sturdy slingback heels that grounded the collection are likely to be a runaway hit from coast to coast.